Wounds of the Winged Stag
Wounds of the Winged Stag is the adventure of four men that took place in the Realm of Novdahain in the early years of the Divine Era. Dramatis Personae The four men that the adventure was centered around were: * Alexei Czarn, a knight of the Order of the Broken Wing * Larch Undertow, a doctor from Novdahain * Jandrich Yeframov, an unsanctioned mage * Cadio Shel-Ar, a Sekad possessed by a mysterious ghost Other important characters in the adventure include: * The Prince-Elect of Novdahain, Aleski Mensh, (dead) * Vanreave Lendin, backer of the Farwatch Expedition * The Crowned Shade * Miron Mokozni, also known as Moko * Alyssa Goraya, High Priestess of Belikrov * The Exarch Belikrov * Nikolai Ordin, Grand Prince of Novdahain * Inessa Daromyr, heiress to the Daromyr fortune The Story The adventure began around 15DE when the four men traveled together towards the island of Farwatch. Betrayal at Farwatch The adventurers travel with the Prince-Elect to the island of Farwatch aboard the Waverunner, once there they travel into the fortification and are fired upon by the fleet. They fight the forces of Xhahon-Dor and feral men from Baarsk, laying in the rubble from the bombardment. A Figure in Darkness Traveling through the ruins of the fortification, the group encounter a mage that appears to be in league with the forces of the primordials, they pursue him through the parapets, only for him to summon some kind of golden entity that cut him in half before fleeing. At the site where he died the group uncover a dead explorer, a man sent by the Prince-Elect to uncover various secrets, they take his journal and make camp, reading letters the mage had on him. Brothers Reading the letters, the mage, believing him to be the Isuige mentioned in the letter, has a brother in correspondence with him operating out of Fort Belucht who claims that a reckoning is coming. As they traveled through the ruins, Cadio and Larch fall under some sort of enchantment and were unable to see or understand the other party members, viewing themselves as other people in Farwatch's ancient past. Ending the enchantment on some of the party, the group emerged from the ruins seeing the battle raging between the Novdahain Expedition and the primordial monsters. Once there they see members of the Order of the Smoking Blood escorting another man, who shoots the Prince-Elect once he sees him, as they prepared for battle, the party is knocked unconscious. The Plague Walking Between the Wounded The party awake in the the infirmary of the Expedition encampment where they recover from their wounds battle fatigue, questions surrounding them about the Prince-Elect's death. High Priestess Alyssa gives them some advice and aids in what way she can each of them but is unable to give them the information they seek on the Order of the Smoking Blood, the Crowned Shade, why the Prince-Elect died or where the Waverunner had gone. Doing some investigating, Alek was unable to find out from the master of the makeshift harbour on the shores of Farwatch where the Waverunner might be and later when the group waited in a tent where drink was being served a drunk man accosted Alek and accused him and the others of killing the Prince-Elect, Alek easily avoided his clumsy attack and tripped the man, the group taking their leave from the tense situation. They spend a few more days in Farwatch, but depart as soon as they are able, setting off for Novdahain and the Serene City, journeying with a young man named Moko. Miron Mokozni Once in Novdahain the group collect their bounty and begin to discuss the events they have seen, and what they plan to do. They agree to stay together as there will be those that would seek them harm for what they know and so should protect one another. Using the bounty they could collect from the heads of slain monsters belonging to young Moko, the group returned to the Labiona Hospital to announce their return. Alek collected the 40 gold pieces from the hospital for protecting Jandrich and Larch, sending the money off to his Order. Planning to meet with Moko later in the evening to celebrate at restaurant, the group rested for a few hours before meeting again. There they met with Grits, a dragonborn enchanter, and Tomas, a human smith, who enquired as to the services of Alek in a matter. As Larch walked past a window, he saw in the rain, the pale arm of a young girl hanging limply from a corpse cart trundling through the streets, her form covered by a blanket. The Menagerie The Contract At the inn, Grits and Tomas revealed they had ordered some rare poison from a group called Barrack's Band operating out of Lower Garrin, the group had not delivered their property. Discussing it with Jandrich, Alek learned this material was quite dangerous and valuable. Hashing out a deal with Grits and Tomas, Alek agreed to two contracts; that he would discover whether Barrack's Band had their property in exchange for them offering their services in the future to the group, and a second pending, the results of the first contract, that their property would be obtained from the Barrack's Band or whoever had impounded it, and returned to them as soon as possible in exchange for up to 4,000 gold pieces worth of enchanted items spread across a maximum of three items, as well as 150 gold pieces worth of diamond dust and information on where one could acquire an onyx gem of sufficient quality to use in spell casting rituals. Alek negotiated this deal and shook the hands of Grits and Tomas to seal the contract. A Poor Girl In Tosno Larch, reacting to the corpse cart, darted outside to request to be allowed to inspect the body, attempting to discern the cause of death, discovering she died of some unknown disease in Garrin where many others were believed to be infected, though the city had not quarantined the area nor had officials made any warning of plague to the public beyond not hindering the removal of corpses by the Waxen Priest. Larch and Jandrich were approached by a man who claimed his brother was ill, the three of them setting off to his house to inspect him, the man showing symptoms fatigue and a rash on his neck that he constantly scratched, though other than that the man seemed healthy. They left giving information of who to contact should his condition deteriorate. Parting ways from the inn, the group returned to their respective dwellings for the night. Larch was disturbed by strange dreams of being pursued by a monster atop the walls of the city. Taking a walk around the city as he was too startled to sleep, eventually meeting the group at Jandrich's house. The White House of Belikrov The group discuss their goals, Cadio expressing a wish to visit the White House of Belikrov, a temple to the exarch in the north east which Alek agrees to show him, hoping to get some protective measures against poisons that the Barrack's Band might have. Jandrich and Larch wish to see whether the rumours of plague in Garrin are true, agreeing to meet the other two in the southern market area later on. Alek and Cadio travel to the temple, Alek pointing out the road to the Orbeli Graveyard after Cadio had expressed interest in the burial methods of the city. At the temple gates, Alek requested aid in combating poisons or boons that could protect him, though the priests there are too busy to grant such blessings on him, contending with the dead of their temple, instead offering to give him potions in exchange for a donation of 100 gold pieces. Cadio meanwhile attempted to inquire as to the various rites that were undertaken in the resurrection of the Waxen, to which he was told he would have to become a member of the White House to learn, something he was unwilling to do, and left empty handed. Asking if they could visit the graveyard, Cadio was told by Alek they would need to make haste to meet the others in Garrin at the agreed upon time. The Disease of Poverty Meanwhile, Larch and Jandrich split Garrin Quarter between them, Jandrich heading towards the Purple House in Upper Garrin, where he was disgusted by the levels of poverty he saw and left almost immediately, going to the market to await Larch. The doctor looked around hoping to find the family of the girl on the corpse cart, looking for people who were wearing black mourning clothes, not seeing any he too returned to the market, hearing anecdotal evidence from some people that there was "plague everywhere in Garrin". The Tales a Dead Man Tells Once the group reunited, Jandrich led the way towards the warehouse district where he knew the Barrack's Band operated. As they walked the rain soaked streets they encountered a corpse on the road, Larch and Jandrich moving to inspect it, noticing scratch marks on his neck where he had being itching. Opening his kit, Larch began an autopsy in the street, carving open the man's chest showing that his lungs were full of seawater. Frustrated at the delay, Alek noticed a woman watching from a nearby window and demanded she answer her door to answer questions about the man, though she was afraid and refused to come out, the others scolding Alek for his actions. Larch and Jandrich decided they wanted to bring the corpse back to the hospital on the west side of Kartoli Quarter, Alek refused to do so as his contract needed to be fulfilled, he and Cadio setting off towards the warehouse intending to find out if the Barrack's Band had the poison. Spending about half an hour carrying the corpse across Lower Garrin, intending to explain to anyone that asked questions that they were doctors intending to take him to the hospital, though nobody inquired and they passed into Kartoli Quarter without incident. At the hospital, they learned that the symptoms this man had were apparently quite common, though Larch had not been informed of it from Henrik, the director of the Labiona Hospital in east Kartoli. They dumped the body in a pile of other corpses behind the hospital and set off back towards Garrin. The Housemen of the Dead Alek and Cadio entered a notoriously dangerous part of Garrin, prepared for an ambush at any moment, hearing the sound of muttering behind a rotten wooden wall, they approached some guardsmen, their captain, Miror, having been stabbed by a gang called Housemen, who went into a warehouse owned by Barrack's Band to raid it. Alek offered one of the healing draughts he had gotten from the temple, but Cadio instead used his healing magicks to mend the man's injury. Alek requested their aid in going into the warehouse after they expressed a desire to kill those that had harmed their captain, though once the prospect of actually having to fight was put before them, the men lost their nerve and only one of their number joined Alek and Cadio to "make a report". Standing outside the warehouse, Alek requested that Cadio and the young guardsmen open the doors so that he could ride inside, though Cadio was focusing on summoning forth his spectral companion and the guard was too dumbfounded by this act to do anything. The ghost passed into the warehouse, moving through the wall freely, seeing a number of corpses strewn around it approached one and aminated it, the undead creature standing up and shambling before the door as Cadio and the guard opened it, seeing it Alek charged as Cadio tried to stop him, claiming that he could speak to the creature, Alek ran the corpse down and continued into the warehouse, discovering a number of the Housemen attempting to getting past a barricaded door. Declaring his name and what his intention was, the Housemen admitted to Alek that they were those that had attacked the guard captain and that they were trying to get to the last of the Barrack's Band behind the door. Demanding that they leave or he would charge them, the Housemen told him he was welcome to try in a mocking tone, which Cadio too mimicked, with that insult Alek charged, goring one of them down when they did not move aside, the rest fleeing towards the entrance while Cadio and the guard stood by, neither of them making any attempt to stop those that had been part of the brutal massacre that surrounded them. A Flailing Snail Cadio approached Alek, asking the knight why he had killed the Houseman, to which Alek was confused as to why he did not stop the rest from leaving, when the barricaded door opened revealing a huge snail beast in a cage that gurgled in anger at them, Alek charged the monster, pinning it into its cage, as he and his horse Hurricane fought it, Cadio's magick bouncing off harmlessly, the tentative guard offering some assistance. After receiving a savage beating, but managing to put down the beast, Alek shouted out to those behind the cage where the two Barrack's Band men were hiding. Demanding the property, which was given, Alek recommended to the guard that he arrest the men for smuggling as they had numerous dangerous monsters within the back room, Cadio was aghast that Alek would recommend such a thing as Grits and Tomas had a connection to the Band, believing that it would mean that they would be arrested. The guard however seemed to have no interest in arresting the men, setting off on his own back to his barracks to inform his captain of the situation. Accusations of Duty Somehow despite having to walk across Garrin, Jandrich and Larch arrived at this time, Cadio telling them that Alek had killed someone in cold blood, which Alek flat out denied, informing them as best he could of the situation, though Jandrich was so shocked by this he began accusing Alek of being nothing more than a contract killer. Confused and not understanding where they had gotten this perception of the situation having just risked himself to slay a monster, Alek left to return to Grits and Tomas. Jandrich and Larch remained in the warehouse surrounded by the dead Housemen and Barrack's Band to tell the guards that they believe would arrive what happened despite not witnessing any of it. Cadio followed after Alek, dismissing his ghost companion and releasing his control over the corpse he had animated. Coming to Terms Returning to Grits and Tomas, Alek handed over their property and discussed the payment of the the magical items, which they agreed to resolve in the next few days, the information on an onyx gem and the 150 gold pieces worth of diamond dust. Heading back towards Kartoli Quarter to get treatment from Labiona Hospital as he was injured in the fight with the snail beast, Alek encountered Cadio whom he informed of the woman Karly in Sirvo Quarter where he could get gems from for ritual spellcasting. Cadio was reluctant to remain with Alek and as the two departed a herald called out declaring that the funeral of Alexai Mensh, the Prince-Elect would be in three days.Category:Events Category:Campaigns